The University of Oregon Police Department responded to a fire alarm at 7:08 p.m. during the annual Intermingle event in the EMU on Sept. 27.

After evacuating the EMU first floor and hall, UOPD Sergeant-Patrol Michael Matchulat identified it as an accidental pull.

“The UOPD responds immediately to these types of calls and the important thing is to get people evacuated as soon as possible,” Matchulat said.

As far as students’ reactions to the fire alarm, many people believed it to be a joke or just a drill.

Freshman Audrey Grimes was walking around and playing games at the booths when she saw the lights of the alarm go off. Grimes didn’t hear any noises of the alarm and felt like she was in no danger.

“I didn’t even know the fire alarm was a serious thing. I just saw the lights but didn’t hear anything. It wasn’t until administration that started to get people out, but I wasn’t scared,” Grimes said.

Although the fire alarm caught a lot of people off guard, many were impressed by how smoothly people evacuated and the amount of calmness. Matchulat emphasized the importance of knowing what to do in an unexpected emergency.